Tim Whealing and Bill Mildenhall have been named the National Referee Development Program (NRDP) Coordinators to support the connection between national and state bodies.
After having lain dormant for several years, the NRDP was reinstated at the AIS in January of this year to help train and prepare the next generation of elite officials. Mildenhall comes into the role having officiated at two Olympic games in 1992 and 2000 while he was also a referee in the NBL’s inaugural year in 1979. He holds the record for most NBL games refereed at 945 while he was awarded the ‘NBL Referee of the Year’ 16 seasons in a row from 1988-2003, a record for both the number of awards won as well as consecutive wins. Whealing currently works with the WNBL as a referee coach and instructor as well as with the NSW Waratah League. Previously, he worked as a referee program manager for Basketball NSW and attended several Australian Junior Championships. “The reason I am still refereeing at this level is so I can experience first-hand what referees experience on the court which will, in turn, help me provide better coaching,” Whealing said. “After injuries halted my goal of becoming an elite referee myself, I still wanted to contribute to the referee community. “Working with Basketball Australia on training the next generation of elite referees is an opportunity too exciting to pass up.” “The addition of Bill and Tim to drive the NRDP forward fills an important resource gap in the National Referee Development Framework,” said Paul Maley, General Manager of Competitions. “Their combined experience and skill sets are exactly what the program needs and will accelerate the development of those referees identified by their states to participate.” “Any program that can help officials push and challenge themselves to be better can only help our sport continue to grow,” added Whealing. “I am exciting to be working with Basketball Australia and the state to provide a clear and structured pathway for officials to reach their goal.”
